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The Institute for Economic Development's diverse programs facilitate economic, community and business development at the local, regional and national level. Click on a specific program for detailed information.

Case Studies

This heading contains informationâ€”articles and presentationsâ€”about businesses and projects that have implemented sustainability in some way, whether choosing to 'green' their building or applying lean operating practices.

Documents

This document begins by explaining the inescapable link between the ecosystem and business operations. In an effort to preserve delicate ecosystems without compromising future business development, this document explores several case studies of businesses, as provided by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), who have attempted to uphold the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity in their operations.

This document, published by the New Economics Foundation (NEF) in London, aims to demonstrate that the fast food, or takeaway food, industry is not only frequently providing unhealthy food options, their convenience is only superficial and comes at a larger cost. According to this report, the immediate benefits of takeaway food (quickness, convenience, freshness, affordability, etc.) are overshadowed by the fact that it is "unhealth, wasteful, socially exploitative, environmentally damaging, global and homogenised." By looking at the economics of the takeaway food industry, the researchers who created this report reach interesting conclusions about the broader economy.